Bill C-236 Conditional Release Victim Families Act
C-236 An Act to Amend the Criminal Code, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and the Prisons and Reformatories Act
Short Title: Addressing the Continuing Victimization of Homicide Victims' Families Act
Bill Type: Private Member’s Bill
Bill Sponsor: Dane Lloyd (Parkland)
Status: Introduced — 1st Reading, September 22, 2025. This Bill hasn't passed yet.
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WHO GAINS POWER
- Sentencing judges gain authority to treat an offender's refusal to disclose the location of a victim's remains as an aggravating factor at sentencing
- Sentencing judges gain authority to order that parole eligibility be delayed — up to half the sentence or 10 years, whichever is less — if the offender refuses to disclose
- The Parole Board gains explicit authority to refuse parole, refuse temporary absences and deny unescorted absences based on an offender's continued refusal to disclose
- Provincial parole boards gain the same refusal authority for offenders in provincial custody
- ⚠️ If a judge chooses not to apply the aggravating factor, they must explain why in writing — this creates accountability but also judicial discretion that could produce inconsistent outcomes
WHO LOSES POWER
- Offenders convicted of crimes involving a death lose leverage — silence about the location of remains now carries direct consequences at sentencing and throughout their sentence
- The Parole Board loses some discretion — court orders made under this Bill must be considered in all parole decisions
- ⚠️ "Persons in authority" is not defined in the Bill — it is not clear exactly who an offender must disclose to in order to have the order lifted
WHO GAINS MONEY
- No direct financial benefit created by this Bill
- Longer periods of incarceration mean higher costs to the corrections system — borne by taxpayers
WHO LOSES MONEY
- Federal and provincial taxpayers bear the cost of extended incarceration for offenders who refuse to disclose
- No cost estimate is provided in the Bill
THE CATCH
- The parole delay order can be revoked — but only if the court is satisfied the circumstances have changed, meaning the offender discloses the location of the remains
- This Bill applies to any offence "in relation to the death of a person" — not only murder, which is a broader scope than it may appear
- ⚠️ The Bill does not address what happens if an offender genuinely does not know the location of remains — the standard is whether the court is "satisfied" the offender has the information, but the burden of proof is not specified
- The Bill amends three separate Acts simultaneously — Criminal Code, Corrections and Conditional Release Act and Prisons and Reformatories Act